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Newsletter – November 2017

Although we rely on our Facebook posts for most club news, every now and then we circulate a newsletter to all of the email addresses we have for members. With the club continuing to grow apace, there is lots going on so here are some of the upcoming events and other news…….

Bowling Night on Saturday 2nd December 26 club members are heading to Eldon Leisure Bowling to see if they can bowl any better than they can run. If anyone else is interested in joining the group please contact Abby Dorani who will make enquiries. You can contact Abby at social@pontelandrunners.org.uk

5K Handicap Run on Wednesday 20th Dec

Back once more. All members are encouraged to take part in this popular club event. Nominally a race (that’s what the winner thinks, anyway) it involves a highly scientific handicapping system devised by Professor Matty Bell. He will need a 5K time from all those who want to take part and past experience tells us that those who do well are not necessarily from the A group, so this is something for everyone, topped off with a visit to the pub for those ‘if only….’ conversations. If you have any questions or want to advise him of a 5K time, please speak to Matty or any of the session leaders.

Social evening, quiz and prize giving. This will be on Saturday 3rd February 2018 at the Diamond in Ponteland. More details to follow but please keep the date free. Those who were at the last one will remember (or, in some cases, not remember) what a very good night it was.

Athletes of the year awards. These awards are made at the social evening. Nominations are invited for the awards – one man and one woman – and are welcome from any paid up member. The nominee can come from either running or triathlon (or both) and should meet at least one of the following criteria: excellence in performance; improvement; enthusiasm; and contribution to the club. The club committee will decide on the winners, based on the nominations received and it has been our practice to exclude committee members and winners of the club championship prizes from eligibility. Please email your nominations – together with the criterion/criteria you believe they meet – to sue.heppell@pontelandrunners.org.uk.

Cross Country (aka cake eating in a field) continues until March. We have had good turnouts for the first few events but you can still join in the fun. See Ann-Marie Shield’s excellent recent report on the club website for a taste of what’s in store. You do need to be registered but this is easy and free (the club pays). Simply contact Laura Choake at crosscountry@pontelandrunners.org.uk to get yourself registered (you do need to have an England Athletics (EA) affiliation membership – the £25 one – as this is a requirement of EA with which we have to comply). Event details are at www.harrierleague.com

Open evening – following the success of our ‘come and try us’ session last March, the plan is to repeat the event next year. It will probably be on Wednesday 28th March, just after British Summer Time starts. Although this seems a long way off now, please spread the word to non-members who might be interested. There will be a variety of groups on offer, intended to cater for all abilities. Obviously, anyone who wishes to join one of our established groups before then is most welcome.

Tri events – the plan is to run a number of the ever popular Go Tri events in the summer of 2018 and to follow these with our first sprint distance triathlon. This will take place on Sunday 1st July and be based at the leisure centre. This will be a major event for the club and we hope that as many members as possible will be involved, either as competitors or as volunteers. It will take a big effort from lots of people to pull this off and we hope that members will rally to the cause. More details to follow in the New Year.

Club kit. Nikki Renton is the person to contact if you need any kit. Anyone wanting to try cross country will need a club vest and these can be ordered through Nikki (although anyone who wants to try cross country before they buy will, I am sure, be able to borrow a vest from someone who is ‘resting’). Similarly, club hoodies and bobble hats are also available from Nikki who can be contacted at clothing@pontelandrunners.org.uk.

Jobs and who does them – I am pleased to report that David Levison has agreed to join the club’s committee on a co-opted basis. And Heidi Finlay has kindly agreed to take on the role of club welfare officer. If anyone wishes to contact Heidi they can do so at welfare@pontelandrunners.org.uk